In recent years with the advent of mega-retailers and mass merchandizing, packaging has rapidly evolved. Today, more than ever, packaging is an extension of the marketing effort.
When marketing products such as food, facial tissue, medicine, bandages, clothing, collectible figurines and the like, it is important that the interior of the product package appears clean and/or refined, or even decorative so as to impart an appearance of cleanliness or high value. High quality graphics on the exterior of a package also impart an image of quality. In certain competitive markets, product differentiation through enhanced printed graphics on the package exterior is critical.
In the paper industry, the term "paperboard" or "fiberboard" is generally considered to fall into two broad categories, containerboard and boxboard. Containerboard is used to make corrugated containers and include corrugating medium and linerboard, whereas boxboard is used to make folding cartons such as boxes, and the like. However, it has been recognized that sharp, precise graphics cannot be obtained when printing directly on either of these paperboard products due to the fact that the paperboard printing surface is relatively rough or uneven, as compared with clay coated paper. Further, paperboard normally has a grey or brown color, and printing directly on the darker color of the paperboard will tend to distract from the resolution of the graphs.
In order to achieve a paperboard package with an apparent sanitary or high quality interior, many manufacturers use a paperboard product that contains all bleached fibers and/or clay-coated exteriors. Examples of these packages include: solid-bleached kraft cartons and solid bleached cartons with a clay coating. However, there are detriments to using bleached fibers and clay-coatings in packaging.
In packaging, bleached fibers are a detriment for several reasons. First, it costs more to make bleached pulp. Second, paper made from bleached pulps is weaker than that made from unbleached pulps. In order to bleach wood fibers, a great majority of the lignin must be removed. However, the bleaching process not only removes lignin, but also removes desirable materials such as cellulose and hemicellulose which attribute strength to the paper. This loss of strength is also the result of the cellulose being damaged by the more severe pulping conditions necessary for bleaching. Additionally, the hemicellulose that contributes to pulp stiffness is almost completely absent in bleached pulp. Third, bleached pulps are more dense. Therefore, they have a lower caliper and thus, a lower stiffness for a given basis weight. The stiffer the board, the better its stacking performance will be. Finally, bleaching pulp has significant environmental consequences. The production of chlorine bleached pulp has been shown to produce dioxins and other undesirable air and water emissions.
Clay-coated board is also detrimental for several reasons. First, it is expensive to produce and transport the clay coated paperboard from which beverage carriers are made. For example, there are significant fixed capital and variable expenditures associated with the equipment and process necessary for clay-coated board production. Such expenditures include additional drying equipment, clay applicators and special production facilities. Second, due to the relatively rough surface of the coated paperboard, the printed graphics do not have the fine or sharp resolution compared to graphics printed on publication grade paper. Third, a problem in printing of the clay-coated paperboard is that it cannot be printed at high speeds, even though it can be printed on web presses. Thus, cost per carton is expensive and the quality moderate by comparison to publication grade paper. Finally, the logistics of handling heavy boards through the printing process and commerce means moving greater tonnage to create the final product.
In general, producing fiberboard that is smooth or bright enough for printing purposes is detrimental for two reasons. First, additional costs result from using higher contents of expensive, high quality pulp and high-end papermaking processes. Second, higher caliper boards must be used to compensate for the loss of strength and stiffness caused by manufacturing processes used to achieve high quality fiberboard. This results in increased product and shipping costs.
Thus, there exists a distinct market for competitively priced paperboard packaging that is environmentally friendly, and has enhanced stiffness, strength, graphics and a white interior.